


Puzzle Pieces

by hyenalab



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Demisexual Jack Zimmerman, Deviates From Canon, Internalized Homophobia (perceived), M/M, Mutual Pining, NHL Player Jack Zimmermann, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-12
Updated: 2016-06-12
Packaged: 2018-07-14 16:22:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7179953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyenalab/pseuds/hyenalab
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When it comes to things that aren't hockey, Jack Zimmerman is not a smart man.</p><p>*Where the kiss at graduation never happened, but things work themselves out anyway*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Puzzle Pieces

It starts the week before Bitty’s graduation. Jack’s regular season has just ended, and the Falconers split up for two weeks to see their families before they head to the playoffs. Jack’s parents had literally been at their last three games and he can fly up to see them any time (an NHL salary has its perks) so instead he heads to Samwell and shacks up in a small hotel that’s close by the Haus.

It’s a nice hotel, he’s sure. He just hasn’t spent much time there since he’s been hanging out with the team, meeting the new tadpoles (“ _It’s Jack Fucking Zimmerman, guys! You didn’t say you knew Jack Fucking Zimmerman!” “Jack went to Samwell and there’s not any others that went professional recently. We thought you would figure it out,”_ ) and eating pie in Bitty’s kitchen. Bitty has sworn not to tell his nutritionist with a conspiring wink, and Jack can’t pass up maple-glazed anything.

Bitty’s quieter than usual, though, Jack thinks as he bites into his second piece of maple apple pie (his nutritionist is gonna kill him, how many miles should he run tomorrow?). Eric’s not as chatty as usual and he’s moving a little slower around the kitchen, almost like he’s trying to commit everything to memory- _oh._

“So, what are your plans after graduation?” Jack prompts him, trying his hardest to look like he’s interested in the answer. He _is_ interested, but he knows he doesn’t always have the most expressive face.

Bitty leans back against the counter after checking the timer and folds his arms, sighing. “I’ve been offered a job in a bakery a bit south which is ideal, honestly, because I love my family but don’t think I should go back to Georgia for awhile.” _That’s right,_ Jack thinks absently, _he came out to his parents just after Christmas._

And _crisse_ , doesn’t Jack feel awful suddenly, realizing he’s been so busy with the season that he had just taken Bitty at his word that things were fine when obviously they aren’t fine, if he isn’t going back to Georgia.

“But,” Bitty continues, not noticing that Jack has stopped eating, “the real estate in the city is kind of expensive and I’m not sure I could afford it. They’ve offered a very nice salary and time to use the kitchen so I can test out new recipes and maybe work on a book, but even so I’m not sure I could afford to live alone and it’s still weird to live with strangers.” He laughs, “I mean, y’all aren’t strangers. You _were_ but, I knew everyone by the time I got Johnson’s dibs and college overall is… different.”

Yeah, Jack can understand that. But he knows Bitty won’t accept an offer to help him get his own place, and it’s not like he can move in with Jack.

“Gosh, I didn’t even tell you the bakery, did I? It’s North Bakery, down in Rhode Island.” Jack’s brain stutters for a minute because _North Bakery,_ that sounds really familiar, hadn’t Tater been talking about stuffed bagels or something before the nutritionist threw a pamphlet at him?

“Bitty,” Jack says carefully, “is that the North Bakery in Providence? With the stuffed bagels?” Bitty starts and his lips curl into a sly smile. “ _Mr. Zimmerman_ ,” he chides with delight, “ _have you been cheating on your diet?_ ” “I’m eating pie, Bittle, it’s too late for me. Honestly, though, is it the one on Battey Street? It’s like ten minutes away from the rink, Tater keeps sneaking out for macarons.”

“I guess so? I have the address written down somewhere. Upstairs, probably- I was looking for apartment listings but everything’s super far away and I don’t fancy being on the train for three hours every day. I got another offer- from Annie’s, actually- I didn’t look over it too closely yet but it’s a good entry level rate and ‘all the pumpkin spice lattes I can drink’ which is a pretty good argument,” Bitty shrugs, then frowns and tilts his head at Jack who looks like he’s seconds away from a revelation.

“Bitty,” Jack’s look is intense now. “Why don’t you move in with me?”

***

Bitty immediately starts coming up with reasons not to do that, starting with he wants to support himself and mentally appending “because I am still madly in love with you and this is a terrible idea, please don’t push it because I absolutely can’t say no to you ever because you look like a kicked puppy.”

They also cover:

“I don’t want to inconvenience you.” “I have a huge apartment, Bittle, I’d be surprised if I could find you in it.” “Hey, I got taller!” “ _One inch,_ Bittle.”

“Surely after a game you want to come home and rest, not deal with a roommate.” “If you can wake me up after a game, you are truly a force of nature. And we already lived together once and survived.”

“I can’t afford to pay any kind of substantial rent in that part of town. It’s ridiculous, Jack!” “I don’t really care.” Bitty narrows his eyes and Jack amends that statement; “I don’t really care about contributing to rent _but if you really want to_ then for god’s sake help me with my nutritionist’s meal plan because if I eat any more chicken and rice I might actually scream.”

Jack continues to describe what he’s put together in the name of not pissing off the Falconer’s nutritionist, enjoying the look of blank horror on Bitty’s face. He may embellish a little bit, but Bitty’s eating it up.

Jack pushes. Jack wins.

***

After graduation, Jack grabs his flight home. Bitty sees him off at the airport, then heads back to the Haus.

He looks around his room for the last three years, half packed, and notices Jack’s flannel is still draped over the back of his chair from when Jack had shucked it during a Netflix marathon. He’s got three days before he has to be packed up and driving the rented van down to Providence himself.

To move in with Jack.

 _Never fall for a straight boy_ , he thinks, and slumps face first onto his bed.

***

Around the same time that Bitty is crossing the state line, Jack is explaining to Georgia that he won’t be there for today’s optional skate.

“They’re _optional_ , Jack,” she sounds amused. “You’ve been to every single one for the last three years, you can take a break!” “I know, but,” “Enough! You’re excused, if that makes you feel better. Take the day off. Help your friend get settled in.” She knows about Bitty because of _course_ she does, Georgia knows about everything. “Take your camera and show him the town. The ice will still be there this weekend.”

That… does actually make Jack feel better. “Okay,” he says, breathing out. “Okay. I’ll see you guys on Saturday.”

God, the chirping from the guys on Saturday morning is going to be _legendary_.

Jack finds, as soon as he’s had that thought, that he doesn’t really care.

***

Bitty won’t show up until around five in the evening because he’s getting a late start. That means Jack probably could have made the skate but honestly, he’d have been distracted anyway. Around noon, on his twelfth trip around the apartment, he notices that he doesn’t have enough dishes for two people and channels his nervous energy into going shopping.

He winds up spending about three hours in the store with a very nice saleslady helping him and goes home with dishes, cutlery, a KitchenAid stand mixer, and a bunch of other stuff he doesn’t recognize but which the saleslady assured him was _essential_ for rolling out pie crust and sprinkling cinnamon evenly and-

Yeah, he doesn’t know what any of this stuff does. He knows the apartment has a nice kitchen (that was part of why he got it, actually). But he hardly uses it. Bitty’s definitely going to be using it, so it makes sense to make sure the appliances and stuff he needs are already there. It saves Bitty a trip. He’s already making a long drive today, since he always insists on staying off the highway as much as possible.

He gets everything set up, hopefully correctly, and looks around.

He’s proud. It looks good. Like a homey kitchen, one that gets used a lot and where the most popular appliance isn’t the microwave.

Bitty will like it.

***

Bitty _loves_ it.

“Oh my _goodness_ ,” he’s standing in the hall looking at the stainless steel oven, duffle bag still slung over his shoulder. “Jack, have you even turned this beauty on? It’s pristine!” “I can cook!” Jack protests, laughing, as Bitty drops the bag and goes to run his hands over the quartz countertop. Jack leans up against the wall and watches, a smile making the corners of his eyes crinkle. “I take it you approve, then? This was really why I got this apartment. Nutrition is important, after all.”

Bitty hears the teasing in Jack’s tone and rolls his eyes. “Don’t you dare pull that on me, Mr. Zimmerman, I heard the monstrosities you’ve prepared in this kitchen and it doesn’t deserve anything you’ve done to it!” he sees the stand mixer from the corner of his eye and goes over to look at that, noting that it also looks untouched. “Have you used any of these? Be honest.”

Ok, Jack can do that. “The oven, the microwave, the fridge? The other things,” he waves his hand to indicate the other appliances and the marble slab and probably more things Bitty hasn’t seen yet, “are new. I follow my meal plan and try not to poison myself but you actually like cooking so it made sense.”

“Do _not_ tell me you bought all this stuff for me!” Bitty’s jaw is dropping, he looks about ten seconds away from being upset or overwhelmed and both are bad, so Jack arches an eyebrow and says, “actually, I bought it for pie. I won’t tell if you don’t?”

Bitty smiles. Equilibrium is restored. “There’s one in the cooler on the passenger seat. I’ll make another tomorrow after I get some rest.”

Bitty definitely does not check out Jack’s ass as he turns and scampers back outside for the cooler.

 _Best ass in the NHL,_ he thinks.

***

It only takes a few days for them to fall back into a routine. There’s one bathroom but Bitty is normally up a bit before Jack, since he has to be at the bakery for 5 AM to get baking for the 7 AM opening. Jack’s up around 4:30 to go for a run before shoveling down some breakfast and heading out to practice. Bitty showers before he leaves (it’s a 15 minute walk to work from Jack’s apartment) and Jack showers when he gets back from his run.

Jack gets back before Bitty does, naps for an hour or so, and then starts looking for things around Providence that he can show Bitty. He’s never been out to more than a few of the historical sites himself- he’s more of a homebody- but Bitty’s never really been much of anywhere aside from Madison and Samwell. He takes his camera along and tells Bitty he never can seem to get the right angle on any of these photos, somehow, because Bitty insists Jack doesn’t have to show him around and Jack insists its _fine_ , he just wants to show him some of the really nice places and it’ll help him get a feel for the town.

Most of his pictures wind up having Bitty in them. Bitty seems curious, but doesn’t ask to see, and Jack appreciates that Eric is respecting his privacy.

He also appreciates how easy that makes it to amass a huge collection of his favorite photos. He’s taken more in the last two weeks than he has since he’s gotten to Providence.

All the photos in the ‘favorites’ folder have Bitty in high focus.

***

It’s been four weeks and Jack is upset. He’s not sure what’s worse, being upset, or knowing that it’s foolish that he’s upset.

 _He knew Bitty was gay_ , ok, that wasn’t in any way a surprise. He’d come out to them what, around Winter Screw in Jack’s third year? And he’s seen Bitty go on a few dates and it’s nice to see him smiling, cheeks flushed, not worried about whatever he’s doing getting back to his parents. Bitty is happy and comfortable and starting to show a confidence that makes Jack’s heart swell, which he can only assume comes from the knowledge that somehow, being near Jack hasn’t fucked Bitty up beyond repair and that his friend is doing well.

But.

Well.

He’s trying to make it through the playoffs, practicing and exercising every spare second and eating the (delicious and healthy, _thank you very much_ ) meals that Bitty leaves in the fridge based on the printouts from the nutritionist, at least when he’s not in another state to play an away game. And he’s tired and stressed and his temper always gets bad when he’s stressed.

So when he comes home early from the airport to find Bitty on the couch with another guy that Jack doesn’t know, watching a movie, his irritation rises. Bitty sees him and flushes, pulling away- “Jack! I didn’t think you’d be back so soon, wasn’t your flight for tomorrow morning?” He’s biting his lip and hunching his shoulders and _no,_ Jack’s not gonna make him feel bad, they’d talked about this and agreed it’s as much Bitty’s home as his so why shouldn’t he bring a date home?

“Caught an earlier flight,” Jack forces a grin. “Just gonna dump my stuff and meet the guys for some drinks. Not sure what time I’ll be back.” Bitty relaxes a bit as Jack nods to the dude on the couch, walking by them.

He texts Tater on his way out the door.

‘ _Want to grab a drink? It’s on me.’_

_‘I thought Zimboni would be tired after flight! Seems you have some energy after all. We are at Trinity, you know? Beer is almost not like piss.”_

Yeah, ok. Trinity. Jack can do that.

***

Tater is annoyingly perceptive. Jack forgot about that, somehow, but he’s making a mental note now to text _literally anybody else_ the next time the need should arise because after the others have given up and gone home, Tater is still nursing a draft. He leans over and bumps shoulders with Jack.

“Girl problems, Zimboni? You look down. We played well today, not about hockey.”

“Hmmm?” Jack’s got a pleasant buzz going, almost enough to forget about what happened earlier. “ _Oh._ No, nothing like that. Got home and was planning on crashing but since we got back early, Eric had brought a date home. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Tater takes a little too long to respond to that, nursing his drink. “Eric is nice guy. Must have many dates, hm?”

“I’m not sure, I mean- I guess? He’s just never brought anyone back to the apartment before and I was looking forward to sleeping. I should have texted him when plans changed but I honestly wasn’t expecting it.” The thought hits Jack that he’s been away quite a bit, so it might just be the first time he’s encountered another guy in the apartment. A different guy. _Bitty’s_ guy. One of Bitty’s guys? Jack takes a long pull on his own beer. “Anyway, hopefully by the time I get back their date will be done and I can crash because I feel like a zombie right now. Not a hockey zombie, just a regular one.”

Tater ‘hmmms’ at that, then elbows him. “We will have to get Zimboni date soon. After playoffs. Not healthy, to be alone so much.”

Jack remembers previous attempts at setting him up on dates. He’s just not that interested in anything besides hockey- including women. He can’t really say no, though; Tater means well, and he obviously doesn’t have anything else going on.

So he smiles and makes a noncommittal noise, and tries not to think about the ice in his stomach.

***

It takes five failed dates over three months for Jack to approach Tater and explain that, while he really does appreciate it, he’s going to take a break and focus on spending some time with his family and relaxing before the upcoming season starts. Tater actually doesn’t protest as much as Jack expected, just claps a huge hand onto his shoulder and gives him a smile that seems a little bit sad.

Meanwhile, Jack’s everything is suffering. It’s only been a few times since that night that Bitty brought a guy home, or that Jack came home to find Bitty and a date already there, but somehow every time he gets a little angrier, a little shorter in temper, a little colder towards Bitty.

 _He doesn’t know what’s going on._ He’s always been perfectly fine with Bitty’s sexuality- fuck, he was fine when Kenny came out to him years and years ago, and confessed to being attracted to Jack. Jack hadn’t returned the attraction but they were able to move past it and stay friends until…

Yeah.

But honestly. He has _no reason_ to be such an ass about this and yet, he can’t seem to stop. He’ll walk in to find Bitty cuddled up to some reasonably attractive dude and he turns into… well, he turns into First Year Jack, the Hockey Robot and _asshole_.

And they’re still having practices and he’s playing like shit because this whole thing has him so turned around. He can’t figure out why he’s so bothered by it. He’s never been homophobic but… then again, he’s never actually lived with a gay person before.

Shit, is he being homophobic because he and Bitty live together now? Is he only ok with gay people as long as he doesn’t have to see evidence of it? Oh god, that really does make him an asshole. Shitty will kill him if he finds out. And it’s _Bitty_ , and Bitty is just… great, about everything. He’s easy to talk to, they chirp back and forth _all the time,_ he helps Jack with his impossible meal plan, he’s perfectly neat as a roommate, he’s got a great sense of humor, he understands Jack when he talks about hockey and indulges his WWII documentaries on Netflix. Bitty doesn’t deserve this, a friend who secretly is uncomfortable around gay people and who makes Bitty uncomfortable for going out and dating when he’s never given Jack any such shit. He didn’t even chirp him when the set-ups didn’t end well- just made pie and turned on History Channel.

Fuck. Fuck. Jack is an asshole. A homophobic asshole. He’s literally so bothered by Bitty dating guys that it’s hurting his game.  And it’s hurting Bitty.

Jack absolutely can’t let him know. No way.

***

Jack is a terrible liar. Bitty _knows_ something is up and after another month, when Jack walked in to find a guy kissing him up against the wall and practically sprints past them to slam the door to his room, Bitty confronts him about it.

Apparently the slamming door was a mood killer, because the dude- Jack had specifically not looked at him, he only saw his shoes and was quite alright with that- left after a muttered conversation with Bitty in the kitchen. He hears Bitty swear softly and then steps that come up the hall and stop at his door.

 A timid knock, and Bitty’s wavering voice- “Jack?”

Shit, he sounds upset. Jack’s trying _not_ to make him upset, damnit. Crisse, this is just perfect.

Jack quickly arranges himself at his desk with a book and calls, “come in, I’m just reading.”

It creaks and a sliver of light from the hall runs across Jack’s wall for a second.

“You’re reading with the light off?” _fuck_. “The streetlights from the window are bright enough. I’ve got a bit of a headache after practice this morning.” There, a reasonably believable lie. “What’s up, Bittle?” He swivels the chair around to face Bitty fidgeting by his bed.

“Do you… would you be more comfortable if I didn’t bring dates back here?” Eric’s shoulders are hunched slightly, and he’s not looking at Jack.

“What? No, why would you think that?”

“You seemed upset when you came in and saw us. And it’s happened before, with the first guy, and since then too. Does my bringin’ dates back here make you uncomfortable?”

_Yes, but I’m not going to tell you that because you don’t deserve a friend who’s secretly homophobic._

“No, its fine- this is your home too, remember? Just, sometimes I have a bad game or practice and get home in a bad mood. It’s not about your dates, honestly. You can bring dates back here whenever, it doesn’t bother me.

“So it’s definitely ok if I bring a date back here to watch a movie or… whatever.”

“Or whatever. Yes, absolutely.” Jack grins and can tell it looks insincere because Bitty’s shoulders aren’t going down. Bitty just locks eyes with him for a long minute before shrugging and saying “Ok, then. Dinner’s in the oven when you get hungry.”

Bitty leaves. Jack’s not hungry. He crawls into bed and tries to convince himself that he is definitely ok with Bitty bringing dates home for _whatever._

***

Bitty doesn’t bring a date back for _whatever_ but now Jack can’t stop thinking about it.

He doesn’t bring any dates back at all, really, and while Jack is definitely happy with that turn of events he also feels disgusting about it because _he doesn’t want to be homophobic_ and Bitty definitely deserves a better friend than what Jack is being.

The worst part is, the more he thinks about it the more bothered he is. And, of course, the more bothered he is, the more he thinks about it. Jack’s always been a bit obsessive. It’s not always a good thing.

The next time Bitty has a date, as far as Jack knows, is the day he comes home to find a note in the kitchen- _Out tonight, dinner’s in the fridge._ Jack immediately crumples it, swallowing down bile. He eats the dinner, but barely tastes it. He’s sure it’s delicious, as always.

Bitty doesn’t come home. Jack knows because Jack lays awake in bed, listening for the sound of the door. His heart is racing, he’s clenching the sheets in his fists; he can’t stop thinking about what Bitty might be doing, about who he might be with, about _what they might be doing to Bitty._

The door closes around seven and he hears Bitty head straight for the shower. Jack bolts out of the apartment and heads for a coffee shop he knows Eric won’t go to (“They _freeze_ their _pies,_ Jack!”), texting Tater on the way.

Tater obviously knows something is up. He also knows Jack doesn’t want to talk about it, thank god. They drink terrible coffee and talk about the upcoming season instead. Jack tries not to think about the sympathy in Tater’s gaze.

***

Jack and Bitty had plans for the evening to go to some WWII museum exhibit, but Bitty doesn’t show up. Jack winds up wandering through the exhibit by himself after waiting for an hour, but he doesn’t really take anything in- he’s too busy worrying about Bitty.

But Eric’s an adult, he reasons. He’s not going to text him. It’s not even that late. Maybe he got stuck at work. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well. Jack _did_ just run out of the apartment this morning, maybe something came up and he wasn’t able to tell him before Jack left because Jack bolted out like a coward while Bitty was in the shower after a night with some dude Jack didn’t know.

Fuck. Okay. Jack needs to calm down.

He gets back and immediately checks the kitchen. There’s no dinner this time, just a note.

_Hey, I don’t know what’s up but I’m guessing you don’t want to see me at the moment since you’re avoiding me. I’m staying at a hotel tonight. Text me when you want to talk._

Fuck, Jack might be sick. Bitty noticed. Of course he did, Bitty knows him so well and Jack’s never been a very good liar and _he is such an asshole_ because he literally drove Bitty out of the apartment even though he didn’t mean to. After he pressured Bitty to move in with him when he was so reluctant to begin with. Jack is _the worst._

He almost texts Bitty immediately. The only thing that stops him is knowing that if he convinces Bitty to come home and keeps acting like he has been, he’s definitely going to drive him away permanently. Not that Bitty deserves to be stuck with Jack, all things considered, but he definitely doesn’t deserve _that_ either.

He hovers over his phone and types out nine different messages. The one he finally sends is _I’m sorry. I’m a jerk. Can we talk tomorrow? Wherever you want._

There’s no reply right away. Ok, fair enough. Jack changes into pajama pants and puts a documentary on Netflix. He’s not sleeping until he hears back.

Around an hour later, his phone beeps. Jack might dive for it from the other side of the couch. His hands are trembling as he holds it up and unlocks the screen.

_I’ll come by the apartment around 11. I have my keys with me._

Okay. Jack can definitely do this. He can _do this._ He’s just got to be honest with Bitty and apologize and they can work something out. Jack can spend more time out of the apartment if Bitty wants to bring dates back, or they’ll work out a system for when Bitty won’t be home so Jack can know he’s safe, or-

Jack finally falls asleep on the couch with his phone in his hand and his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

***

“Jack?”

Jack doesn’t want to wake up. He knows once he wakes up he’s going to hurt all over and he’s not totally sure where his limbs are at the moment. He also doesn’t want to remember last night because last night was Bad. The worst night in a long time. He’s not sure why but as long as he doesn’t open his eyes he doesn’t need to remember-

“Jack?” That’s Bitty’s voice.

Jack’s eyes shoot open and focus blearily on the blond in front of him. “Eric?” he croaks.

“Goodness, Jack, why are you sleeping on the couch? That can’t be comfortable.” Bitty’s frowning but also very carefully not touching him, when normally he’d be leaning in.

“You came back.” Jack can’t quite believe it. Isn’t sure he isn’t dreaming this. He reaches out to touch Bitty, to make sure he’s real.

He touches Bitty’s cheek for a second, thumb rubbing over the soft skin, before Bitty pulls back ever so slightly. It’s enough to make Jack remember why he’s sleeping on the couch with his phone still clasped in his other hand.

“You should have some coffee, you look terrible,” Bitty stands, not meeting Jack’s eyes. “I’ll put a pot on, I have a feeling there’s a lot we need to talk about.”

Jack’s left on the couch, his arm still raised to where Bitty’s face had been.

***

He heads to the bathroom and splashes some water on his face to wake up, before padding down the hall towards the kitchen and the conversation he’s definitely not looking forward to.

He passes Bitty’s bedroom on the way and notices the door is open a crack. He doesn’t mean to look but, Bitty had obviously been in the apartment for a little bit before waking Jack up because he _knew_ that door had been closed. He had closed it himself because the urge to go in and wrap himself in the perfectly smooth comforter and soak in Bitty’s scent had been too strong and he knew that as much of a jerk as he was, he wasn’t willing to cross the line to _creepy_ jerk.

But now there’s a duffle bag on Bitty’s bed, with clothes inside and piled beside it. It’s messing up the comforter, Jack thinks absently.

He’s _got_ to fix this.

He walks into the kitchen to talk to Bitty, determined to be totally honest.

***

Jack should really work on reconciling honesty and tact.

“I ought to kick your ass, brah. What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?”

“I know,” Jack groans, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m the worst. Bitty probably never wants to talk to me again. Fuck, Shitty, I told him it was ok to move in here! He has a _job_ here. It’s not like he can afford an apartment.” Jack stills. “I should move out. I’ll keep paying for the apartment, I’ll just get a second one and live there, then Bitty can stay here and he doesn’t have to be around me but he doesn’t have to move-“

“Jack,” Shitty interrupts, “don’t be a fucking idiot.”

“What?”

“I know we joked about you being the Hockey Robot and all but you cannot possibly _actually_ be this dense.”

Jack just squints at the blurry image of Shitty’s room, waiting for him to elaborate.

“Oh my god, you _are_ actually this dense.” Shitty sounds both amazed and impressed.

“…what do you mean?”

Shitty sighs and leans back, clasping his hands like he’s preparing a lecture. “Ok so, let me know if you follow me and correct me if I’m wrong. We’re going to cover a couple things that you just told me.”

“O…kay?”

“You have known Bitty for almost four years and never had an issue with him being gay.”

“Right.”

“You invited him to move in with you without a second thought and then fully outfitted the kitchen you hardly used, because you knew he would like it.”

“Yeah, I mean-“ Shitty waves his hand impatiently and cuts him off.

“You took two weeks off of optional skates and practices which _I have never known you to skip practice, skating, or take time off ever,_ and showed Bitty around town to all your favorite places and went to a bunch of new ones and took your camera and if I know you, you have a bunch of photos of Bitty saved somewhere you think is subtle.”

“…pass.”

“Which means yes. So, moving on, the first time you felt any kind of uncomfortable was when you found out Bitty had brought a date home.”

“Yeah. I mean I don’t _want_ to feel like that!”

“So Bitty notices you’re acting weird and asks if it’s ok that he bring a date home sometimes and you assured him it absolutely is because it’s none of your business who he’s dating.”

“Right, I don’t care if he brings men home, I wouldn’t care if he brought women home- or at least, I shouldn’t, and I can’t figure out why it bothers me all of a sudden,” Jack gestures wildly, not sure why he has to explain all this again.

“So Bitty gets upset when you tell him that and starts bringing more dates home. And you get more upset, while assuring him he can do whatever he wants and it’s none of your business. And he starts staying out all night and coming home in the morning. And _you_ haven’t been on a date in what, five months?”

“Right, but I’ve been focusing on hockey,” Jack says, still not understanding where Shitty is going.

Shitty looks like he’s in pain. Real, actual, physical pain. He leans forward again and stares at Jack.

“Do you hate gay people?”

“ _What?_ Crisse, no, I just-“

“Do you hate Bitty?”

“ _No_ , I don’t hate Bitty, what are you-“

“Why does it bother you to think Bitty’s sleeping with men?”

“I don’t _know,_ that’s the problem!”

Shitty rubs at his temples, breathing slowly. He finally brings his hands back down. “Jack, are you gay?”

“No!” Jack is flabbergasted, he’s not gay, he told Kenny as much years ago when the whole attraction thing had come to light.

“But you’re not really attracted to women.”

“No? I mean I guess not. I’ve tried but it just never worked out.”

“Ok. And you get along with Bitty better than literally anyone else and chirp each other _all the time_ and even pretend to flirt a little bit sometimes and he pretends to flirt back but it’s ok because you’re friends and don’t mean it that way.”

“Right, I mean, I’m not gay and Bitty knows that and he’s got lots of dates anyway so-“

“Ok.” Shitty’s staring at him intently with a face like he’s waiting for something in Jack to click. Nothing does.

“OK?”

“Jesus christ, Jack.” Shitty literally facepalms. “It’s like you haven’t listened to me speak at all since we met unless it was about hockey.”

“I’m not following.”

“Did you ever stop to think maybe you were demi? Like, you have to have a relationship with someone before you become attracted to them and that’s probably why your blind dates never work out. And you’ve been friends with Bitty for ages and then he moved in and you guys got _even closer_ which, I mean, you were always weirdly in tune even before that. And the idea of Bitty dating didn’t bother you until after you got even closer. I’m pretty sure you’re jealous, Jack. You don’t have a problem with Bitty kissing guys, you have a problem with Bitty kissing guys that _aren’t you_ , you oblivious walnut.”

“I…” Jack rubs a hand over his face, squinting. “So you think I am gay, but just for Bitty?”

“I’ll explain all the reasons that’s wrong to you later but let’s call that the extremely short and basic version for the time being.”

“Ok but what about Bitty? That actually makes things _worse_ because if I’m getting jealous every time he brings a guy home I’m still being an asshole, just not a homophobic one. Jealous asshole isn’t really an improvement.”

“Noted and correct, except Bitty only started bringing dates home after you guys started play flirting or whatever you want to call that weird foreplay thing of yours. And from what you said he got upset every time you told him everything was fine and it’s none of your business who he’s dating or sleeping with. He stayed out the _whole night_ after you guys fought about him bringing guys back to the apartment the first time. Bitty’s a literal angel and would never ever make a move on a guy he thought wasn’t seriously interested, but he’s also a devious little bastard when he wants to be and I’m not sure he’s above trying to make you jealous.”

Jack sits bolt upright and furrows his brows. He barely registers Shitty throwing his hands up and muttering “hallelujah, now I’m gonna leave you to fix your massive fuckup, tell Bitty I want ‘Shitty brought Jack to his senses’ pie,” and disconnecting.

Jack doesn’t one hundred percent know what he’s going to do yet, but he knows he has at least another day before Bitty comes to the apartment.

And Jack knows Bitty will come back to the apartment because in his haste to leave this morning, he left Señor Bunny sitting on his rumpled bed.

_***_

It’s three days before Bitty comes home again. He carries Señor Bunny with him everywhere to make sure that Bitty can’t sneak back out and thus avoid Jack before he’s said his piece. Jack’s spent most of them dodging Georgia by pretending he has the flu, and trying to think about what he’ll say if Bitty ever shows back up.

So he doesn’t fuck it up again. Because if he does, he’s pretty sure Bitty will never come back and that thought makes him feel like the walls are getting too close to him. Not to mention the fact that if things go south the rest of the guys from Samwell will probably also never talk to him again, except for Shitty and Lardo, who would make an exception to lecture him as they kick his ass.

He’d deserve it.

***

Bitty tries to sneak it. Jack can’t blame him, really. He’s sleeping on the couch again because he’s barely moved since his conversation with Shitty; the couch is the best vantage point to watch the door from.

Jack tries not to think too hard about that.

Anyway he’s stirring as soon as he hears the click of the door opening, because he’s been waiting to hear that sound for three days, and he’s curled up on the couch clutching Señor Bunny to his chest like it’s a lifeline. He has to wake up, it’s important, and now there’s something blocking the sun from the window and Jack shivers-

A light brush of fingertips against his wrist is what finally jolts Jack the rest of the way to awake. He opens his eyes and locks onto Bitty leaning over him, trying to gently wriggle his stuffed rabbit out of Jack’s grip. He doesn’t notice Jack is awake until his hand is wrapped around Eric’s other wrist that’s bracing him against the edge of the couch.

Bitty jumps and attempts to flail. “Jack, what on earth-“ he’s frowning and looks miserable , like he hasn’t slept at all, and Jack can’t stop himself from blurting out “I was jealous and I’m an asshole and I’m so, so sorry but please don’t leave again. Let me try and fix this.”

Bitty’s eyes narrow and Jack’s an idiot as well, he can add that to the list because of course a lame apology isn’t going to be good enough after everything.

“And just what do you _have_ to be jealous about? It’s not like you have any problem getting dates, Jack. You could probably get one just by announcing you’re single in an elevator. Not all of us are so blessed.”

Jack hesitates, working his jaw while watching Bitty. Bitty tugs at his wrist, but Jack’s not letting go. He has to make Bitty understand.

“I, no, I – I wasn’t jealous of you getting dates, I was jealous of _them_ dating _you_ ,” is what finally comes out, and Bitty stills and hunches up his shoulders. Oh, crap, was that the wrong thing to say, what if Shitty was wrong-

“ _Excuse_ me?” Is Bitty’s sharp reply and yeah, ok, Jack deserves that. The knowledge doesn’t stop him from flinching, though.

“I wasn’t jealous that you were getting dates, I was jealous that you were dating _other_ guys,” and Jack is totally babbling now but he has to explain before Bitty cuts him off because he won’t be able to stand it if Bitty leaves again. He gently turns over Bitty’s hand in his grip, rubbing his thumb over the back and holding on like Bitty’s a lifeline (maybe he is). “And I was too stupid to realize that I was jealous, I thought I was uncomfortable seeing you date guys because I knew you’re gay but I’ve never actually seen you _date guys_ before and I’ve never been jealous before either so I didn’t realize that’s what it was and I’m so sorry, I’m such an asshole.” Jack takes a deep breath and releases Bitty’s wrist, not meeting his eyes. “I know you’re sorta stuck here now because you have a job and I invited you to move up here even though real estate is crazy expensive and it’s my fault so I’ll move out if you don’t want to see me, I understand. I’ll keep paying for everything, you don’t have to worry-“

He’s cut off by Bitty’s hand pressing against his mouth. Bitty’s still frowning, but his eyes look considering. He’s searching Jack’s gaze like he could find every star in the sky in there. Bitty’s eyes flick down to Jack’s other hand, still wrapped around Señor Bunny.

“You were… jealous.”

Jack nods.

“Because I was dating other guys. ”

Jack mumbles an affirmative against Bitty’s palm.

“Because they weren’t you?”

Jack hangs his head and closes his eyes and-

Bitty is kissing him. And laughing at him, with shining eyes, calling him a silly boy. And kissing him again.

Wow.

_***_

Later, tangled in bed with Bitty’s head resting on his chest, Jack fishes his phone off the bedside table and fires off a text to Shitty.

_Turns out I’m fine with Bitty kissing guys as long as it’s me._

Shitty replies almost immediately: _Thank god.  
_

_I get to be best man, calling dibs now._

_Deets later, you magnificent bastard._

Jack laughs quietly and nuzzles into Bitty’s hair, smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this news article: http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/straight-guy-worries-hes-homophobic-gay-roommate-ends-falling-love/#gs.fAtpcsE
> 
> I asked on tumblr who was going to write the Zimbits AU and no one volunteered so it fell to me.
> 
> North bakery is a real place, famous for hand pies and stuffed bagels: https://www.yelp.ca/biz/north-bakery-providence-2
> 
> Trinity is also a real place: http://www.trinitybrewhouse.com/


End file.
